Review: What it’s Like to Fly JAL 787-9 Business Class from Haneda Tokyo to Honolulu

We flew back to the US from Asia using a sweet redemption of Alaska Air miles on one of their partners, Japan Airlines. This included a leg on Japan Airlines (JAL) 787-9 with Sky Suite Seats III from Haneda (Tokyo), Japan to Honolulu, Hawaii. 

To see what it’s like, read on for our full JAL Business Class Tokyo to Honolulu review!

Being that we had just flown a similar route on JAL from Haneda to San Francisco on Premium Economy the year before, we were excited to see what the “upgraded” experience would be like or if we should’ve just saved the points. 

Did it live up to our expectations?

Our Flight Details: April 2024

• Japan Airlines 72
• Departing Haneda Airport (HND) at 9:55pm, Arriving in Honolulu (HNL) at 10:25am
• 7.5 hr flight time
• Boeing 787-9 (type e91 – seat map)
• Seats 1K, 2K | JAL Sky Suite III

Quick Summary: JAL Business Class Review

Japan Airlines business class will always be a good and preferred option for us, especially when looking for value in a points redemption.

Is it the best business class product? No. But it’s MUCH better than any U.S. international carrier’s business class by quite a lot.

Pros of JAL 787-9 Sky Suite III Business Class:

– Priority check-in
– Priority security lane (in select countries)
– Priority baggage handling
– Access to business class lounges (all countries)
– Priority boarding group
– Good lie flat seat and privacy
– Amazing food
– Great service

Cons of JAL 787-9 Sky Suite III Business Class:

– Seats and space might feel narrow for taller/bigger people
– Aging product has seen a lot of flights
– Movie selection was poor and entertainment OS clunky

Japan Airlines Business Class Check in at Haneda Airport

There are two major airports that serve the Tokyo area: Narita in the North and Haneda in the South. Haneda is definitely the more modern and updated airport.

We headed to Terminal 3 and to the Japan Airlines cluster of ticket agents.

There are dedicated, clearly marked lanes for Business Class ticket holders. Check in was quick and easy. 

Bonus Side Note: We checked in and dropped off our bags 12 hours(!) before our flight.
Our first leg arrived in Narita at 6:35am. After a 1.5 hour direct train from Narita to Haneda, we dropped off our check-in bags with a gate agent, rented a locker for our carry ons, and headed out for a long but really fun layover adventure in Tokyo.

It should be noted that Business and First Class passengers on JAL flights get 2 free bags at 70lbs per passenger. More than enough to bring home gifts.  

Haneda Security and Japan Airlines Lounge

12 hours after our long layover in Tokyo, we were ready to go through security and head to the JAL Sakura Business lounge. Taking advantage of the dedicated security line for JAL Business class passengers (and the efficiency of Japanese service in general), we breezed through security.

One thing we noticed that was really nice going through security at Haneda is that you don’t have to remove any electronic devices from your bag. Not one. Come on, America. You can do this too!

Our gate agent had provided us with a helpful map to access the JAL Sakura lounge:

Tip: How to get your JAL (or any partner airlines) reservation code when redeeming Alaska Airlines points

If you redeem your Alaska Airlines points for a partner flight, you’ll want to know how to get your partner reservation code.

Thankfully, Alaska makes this easy by showing you the partner’s code online in your account under the Trip view, or in your confirmation email. See below:

Why would you need this? The most important reason is the ability to pick your seats ahead of time.

How to select your JAL Business Class Seats (and special meals) in advance

You may think this next step should be pretty straight forward, but having done this several times, I realized that it’s best to navigate to the Japan Airlines English site before attempting to access your trip and make any changes.

Go to this link, select a US city and select “English”.

Once on the English site, go to “Manage Booking” and make sure to have your:

• reservation code
• flight number
• city of departure
• departure date

Once your flight(s) show, you’ll be able to select your preferred seat, if available. This is also where you would pre-select a special meal if needed.

JAL Business Class Lounge Access: Haneda Airport – Sakura Lounge

Having made quick work through customs and security, we followed the printed map to the JAL Sakura lounge.

You’ll see signs for “Lounges” and head up an escalator to the area. If you’re looking for “Sakura Lounge”, you might miss it.

The Sakura lounge we had access to is the same for business class and premium economy ticket passengers. There’s a separate first class lounge but we didn’t get a chance to check that one out.

At the check in desk, you’ll be asked to present your boarding pass. For those of you Priority Pass members wondering if you get access to this lounge, you don’t, unfortunately. (We learned recently that Priority Pass members now have access to the “Sky” and “Tiat” lounges in the international departure terminal.)

However, if you already have access to the JAL lounge with your ticket, we suggest that lounge over the Priority Pass lounges.

We have been fortunate to visit a couple of lounges at different airports around the world and we both agreed that this was one of our favorite lounges.

First off, it was HUGE with lots of different areas to relax in. It never felt crowded during the 3 hours we spent there.

The decor was modern and comfortable. Internet speeds were blazing fast. I also tested out the shower room and that was amazing – one of the best showers in any lounges I’ve seen.

JAL’s lounge has a minimal contact system. They encourage you to download and use their mobile app, JAL Lounge+ (iOS App Store). 

What I like about the app is that you don’t need to create an account to use it. Thank you, JAL! Once you’ve downloaded and given it permission to your camera, you can scan a QR code on your table and scan your boarding pass.

From there, you can order food (though it’s not necessary to use the app for this) and book a shower room. You’ll get alerted through your phone when the shower room is available. I used the app while we were there and then deleted it after we left.

You can get as many items, as often as you want. The only downside is the menu was somewhat limited. Just don’t expect a huge spread.

The self-serve drink offerings were pretty good, and I especially enjoyed the automatic beer dispenser. I need one of those at home.

JAL Business Class Boarding at Haneda Airport

Knowing that JAL is pretty good about being on-schedule, we headed to the boarding gate to arrive at the scheduled boarding time.

One thing I really appreciate about JAL is their proactiveness to make sure things like boarding are clear and efficient.

Boarding takes place in groups. JAL proactively calls different groups up to get them lined up and then boarded.

Business Class ticket holders are categorized as boarding group 2, in case you were wondering.

JAL 787-9 Business Class Cabin

Our plane, the JAL 787-9 Boeing Dreamliner, was set up into three cabins (seat map of our plane): Business, Premium Economy, and Economy.

The business class cabin had an incredible 52 seats(!) split into two sections. These were the JAL Sky Suite III seats setup in a 1-2-1 herring bone style.

For maximum privacy we suggest any of the seats along the windows, A or K. Because of the herringbone style, the two middle seats angle towards each other with only a little bit of a privacy divider between them. Even though we LOVE traveling together, we both enjoy a private window seat and thus had 1K and 2K for this flight.

Here is 7K, my seat for this flight. Note that it did not have a privacy door, which some of the more modern business class seats do. That being said, I didn’t mind, as the herringbone angles away from the person across the aisle, so you feel you have more privacy. I don’t want them to see me watching Barbie again.

After the business class cabins, towards the middle of the plane, you arrive at the premium economy cabin. Here, 35 seats are arranged in a 2-3-2 layout.

Behind premium economy is the economy cabin with 116 seats in a 2x4x2 setup. From the quick peek I took, the economy section was large but looked fairly comfortable.

JAL has been applauded for being one of the few (if not only) economy cabins for international flights that operate a Boeing 787 in a 2x4x2 setup. Other airlines cram one more seat on the windows in a 3x3x3 pattern.

JAL 787-9 Business SKY Suite III Class Seat

The Sky Suite III seats were more than adequate for our 7.5 hour flight.

The seat features a lie flat seat which is MUCH better than the Shell flat versions.

JAL has 6 business class seats in their current line up, and the Sky Suite III is definitely their middle level version. You can check out all of their options here.

I’m hoping one day to check out their A350-1000 seats. They don’t have many at the moment so if you’re looking for those, check out this article.

At the seat waiting for me as headphones, slippers, bedding, and an amenity kit. (Unfortunately common in Japan: lots of plastic, too.)

There was a small storage compartment and easy-to-access power outlets.

Reclining controls were simple and easy to use.

The tray table folded down and swung toward you and was easy to operate.

To conclude this section about the JAL Business Class Sky Suite III seats: they were good.

Nothing special. Nothing bad to note.

Being that we are both under 5ft 8inches in height, they were plenty spacious and had good privacy. Could they have been bigger? Would it be nice to have a privacy door? I guess yes to all of those things.

Was it comfortable for a 7.5 hour red eye flight? Absolutely.

We both got a fair amount of sleep. We will always be grateful for the ability to lie flat rather than trying to sleep upright!

JAL 787-9 Business Class Amenity Kit

The bag on the left was from a business class flight we took about 5 years ago from Osaka to Los Angeles on JAL. This is my favorite travel bag, and the quality is amazing. That wasn’t the case of the little pouch/drawstring bag given on this flight in 2024.

You don’t fly for the amenity kit and on JAL, they provide a simple kit. Nothing to get excited about. Bonus points to their marketing team, though, as you know exactly what these items are. 

Japan Airlines Business Class Meal from Haneda to Honolulu

Having flown JAL a couple of times, in all of the classes except First, we were excited about the meals for this flight. This is definitely an area where Asian carriers blow American carriers away with quality and service.

But on this particular flight, our departure time was 9:55pm. The service offered a full dinner after take off and a smaller breakfast two hours prior to arrival. Because we weren’t hungry (11:00pm for dinner?), we spoke with the flight attendant and asked if we could have the main dinner for breakfast the next morning.

They allowed us to switch the meal and noted it would have to be when the morning breakfast was served. We were excited and grateful. Here’s what we didn’t want to miss:
First, it should be noted that you choose between a Japanese or Western menu options. ALWAYS go with the Japanese menu, in our opinion, especially if your JAL flight originates from Japan.

Here is what our postponed dinner/breakfast looked like:

Everything on this tray was delicious, and there were so many different “bites”.

This is easily one of my favorite in-flight dining experiences. And who doesn’t like dessert for breakfast? We finished our meal with a refreshing matcha pudding and hot green tea.

Side note: JAL does make their menu public and you can view their current offerings here.

JAL 787-9 Business Class Entertainment (IFE)

So this is where your author is blaming the late night and all-day layover in Tokyo. I took a photo of the 17inch touch screen but that’s it. I slept most of the flight, and I did use the IFE to watch a movie while eating my postponed dinner/breakfast, but your boy didn’t get a photo of it. Oh well.

You can probably imagine it was fine. It was a touchscreen with a side remote and it worked as expected. I promise to do better next time!

Side note: JAL does make their entertainment offerings public and you can view their current listing here.

JAL 787-9 Business Service and WIFI

I’ve come to expect great service from Japan Airlines (and most Asian carriers) and that was the case with this trip.

The fact that they were willing to accommodate our breakfast request seemed generous, and we were going to be ok if they said no. 

From the ticket agent at Haneda airport until the time we departed, the JAL staff were incredibly polite and helpful. On board, our call button was answered quickly. Everyone we spoke with was very nice and helpful.

The lavatories were always clean when I went to use them. Any extra requests I made for things like drinks were always met with a happy-to-help tone.

People often underestimate the importance of great service and the value it brings to an overall experience. JAL definitely exceeded here.

As for the WIFI, I took a look at the prices and decided I didn’t need to get any work done on this particular flight. But here’s a pic of the available services.

JAL 787-9 Business Class: Is It Worth It?

As always, our answer to this question is “it depends“.

Overall, our experience on this particular business class flight was excellent, as with all of the flights we have taken with JAL in the past.

I did a quick search for an equivalent flight on JAL, one way on business class from Haneda to Honolulu. The normal average price for 2 passengers is $9200!!!

We redeemed 160,000 (80,000 each) Alaska miles for two legs of business class and paid $68 total for fees. To us, this was a great value as many one-way, one-leg business class flights are around 125,000 miles these days. 

Additionally we will NEVER pay $9,000 for airline seats. 

Here’s what I would suggest as a Japan Airline purchasing guide:

• Is money not an issue for you? —> Purchase JAL’s Business/First class.
• Do you want to have the best sleeping option? —> Go with JAL’s Business/First class for lie flat seats.
• Did you find a really good deal or points offer for Premium Economy? —> Go Premium Economy. UNLESS you find a unicorn deal like we did for multiple business class flights at a really good redemption. Then go with that.
• Is money an issue and you’re debating between Economy and Premium Economy? —> Go with Economy.
• Are you a couple looking for a nice experience and want to save money? —> Go with Economy and book the 2 seats on the side to yourselves.

It really depends on who you are and what your travel priorities are.

I’m thankful we found this great award deal. I’m convinced that if we fly with JAL internationally again, especially if it’s a trip that we don’t need to sleep on, we’ll probably go Economy with their 2x4x2 seating. 

Sadly, redemption values are only getting worse… not better.

Japan Airlines 787-9 Business Class Review: Final Thoughts

Over the years we’ve really come to enjoy all Asian carriers and JAL is no exception. If we have the opportunity to fly with them again, we would do so in a heartbeat. They continue to offer a good hard product and excellent soft product and service.

What are your thoughts about JAL’s Business class? Let us know in the comments below.

Read next:
– JAL Premium Economy Review
– Japan Travel Requirements
– Hawaiian Airlines Business Class A330-200 Review Honolulu to Narita